1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a multiple flavor post-mix beverage dispensing head having improved structure for selectively combining a single diluent and a selected one of two or more syrups into a beverage.
2. The Prior Art
Multiple flavor post-mix dispensing valves for carbonated beverages are known. Specific examples are as follows.
G. P. McCann U.S. Pat. No. 3,396,871 discloses a two flavor post-mix valve which is being commercialized. This valve has a machined plastic body with a water solenoid and one syrup solenoid on top, and a second syrup solenoid secured kind of as an after thought to the bottom of the valve body. This valve tends to mix syrups and does not provide for quick disconnect removal of the valve body from a dispenser. The single flavor predecessor of this valve is disclosed in G. P. McCann U.S. Pat. No. 3,800,826.
C. V. Di Pietro U.S. Pat. No. 2,371,431 discloses a two flavor post-mix beverage dispensing head which applicants have never seen.
D. A. Hassell U.S. Pat. No. 4,658,988, discloses a single flavor single solenoid post-mix head being converted into a multiple flavor dispensing head, utilizing a remote solenoid valve for the second syrup.
A structure in kit form has been developed that enables the two solenoid dispensing head of U.S. Pat. No. 3,540,476, to dispense either its primary beverage or a second and alternative beverage. This dispensing head has separate solenoids for water and primary syrup. This head is known for dispensing warm drinks because of heat from its dual solenoids. The kit structure includes a secondary syrup valve. The dispensing head is rewired with a bi-stable toggle switch which is flipped to either primary or secondary beverage. When a singular and common actuator lever is depressed, a single switch then opens either the water valve and the primary syrup valve, or only the water valve and the alternate syrup valve. This kit will not work on single solenoid post-mix heads. This kit requires the use of a toggle switch to change from one beverage to another. The toggle switch must be correctly set upon the desired beverage before dispensing is begun.
A third example of a single flavor post-mix valve being converted into a three flavor post-mix valve is an effort by The Cornelius Company of Anoka, Minnesota. This effort pre-dates the previously described efforts and was successfully reduced to practice at least as early as April 12, 1978, but has not been patented in the U.S. or elsewhere. Cornelius manual No. 31-6318-000 of April 12, 1968 documents this effort, which was done on a coin-actuatable cold-cup dispensing machine. This device has a single dispensing head of the type shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,455,332 and 3,667,724. This head, which was originally a single solenoid head, was rebuilt with two solenoids. There was a first solenoid on the water valve and a discrete second solenoid on the syrup valve. A pair of extra syrup lines were run into the nozzle of the dispensing head and each of the extra syrup lines had a discrete normally closed syrup solenoid valve. The electrical controls were a conventional vending machine panel with touch switches. The vending machine is shown in U.S. Design Pat. No. 256,376. The control circuitry would open the dispensing head water valve and syrup valve for the primary beverage, which was usually cola. For the second beverage, the water valve and the syrup solenoid valve in the first extra syrup line would be opened while the dispensing head syrup valve was left closed. For the third beverage, the water valve and the syrup solenoid valve in the second extra syrup line would be opened while the dispensing head syrup valve remained closed.
All of these foregoing devices have a makeshift nozzle that has problems with wash out and with mixing of the different syrups. None of these devices have quick disconnect of the dispensing head from a dispenser. These devices are all large and bulky or require external solenoids and valves to be remotely mounted discrete from the dispensing head.